It seems fitting this year as we continue to live through the COVID-19 pandemic, to showcase work that speaks of the extraordinary situation we find ourselves in. Artists have always been at the vanguard of reflecting the world in innovative, arresting and often surprising ways, and the two featured in this exhibition are no different.
The art of Bindi Vora and Alys Tomlinson has similarities in that they both use photography, and the photographs shown here, Mountain of Salt by Vora and Tomlinson’s Lost Summer have blossomed organically from observing what is happening in their lives and the lives of those around them, whilst we grapple to make sense of what it means to live in a society under such unusual pressure and restraint. These two bodies of work look at the wider effects of COVID-19 and raise questions around the long-term ramifications of a year of solitude, anxiety and sorrow that has touched us all.
Whilst there of course is an element of sadness in these works, we can sense hope and resilience amidst the gloom – the strength of a young adult's defiant gaze, or a touch of humour in Vora’s exploration into information dissemination.
There have been some truly dark days in our recent history, but we look to the future with determination and an ambition to be kinder to ourselves and others, and to make the most of life.
This exhibition is one of a number of art focussed activities we are presenting this year discussing COVID-19.
Click on the links to the right to view the exhibition.
We would like to thank both artists in their support of this exhibition. Alys Tomlinson is represented by HackelBury Fine Art, London. Bindi Vora is represented by Carrie Scott & Partners.
Prints from the exhibition can be purchased on Carrie Scott & Partners' website, with 10% of profits from sales of the series going to Hospital Rooms, an arts and mental health charity that commissions extraordinary artworks for NHS mental health inpatient units across the UK.
